Monday, September 1, 2008

Better With Age

First job, graduation, kids, laughing at Jay Leno. There are certain moments that define our aging. There are a few less talked about moments when I realized I was getting older.

When I found myself staring at advanced alien rocket equations on the white board. It was the moment when all those lectures from the movies were put into perspective. The weird symbols made sense and half the time Ben Stein was literally teaching the class.

When I stopped being ordered around and starting having conversations. Instead of "go move that box to the front", it was "do you think you should move that box to the front?" That way, weaseling out of situations required less excuses and more big words. "I think that it would be harder to calibrate in that situation. We better just leave it where it is."

When food began costing money. "Wait one second. You're telling me I have to pay for this bologna sandwich? I thought those things were always just hanging out in the refrigerator."

The amazing qualities of youth are often overemphasized. With the vitality, you also carry awkwardness, insecurity, and ignorance. Every age has it's benefit. I've often wished I could be back at a certain time or place, but I've never wished to be my old self.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

LOL! Yes, "growing up" is something many of us never really have to do-- if we pretend to follow the rules well enough and never ask any questions, we can breeze through life without any need for maturity. :)

And when our poorly behaved offspring behave like idiots, we can just brush it off with, "It's the age".

Anonymous said...

…and then there's the unsolicited love advice from Oprah.com. "If you think you're hot then flaunt it, if not, then shut up and go do your work.

I thought I _was_ working. LOL! :)

Anonymous said...

Any woman who leaves a chronic-drinking man at home with her pretty teenage daughters is lying to herself. My neighbor does that and I worry so much for her brood.

I want to see grocery bills and I want to see a paternity test done by an independent body.

I KNOW nobody ever touched my kids because I was THERE.

LOVE IS BLIND, ladies. LOVE IS BLIND.

Anonymous said...

You quite literally are what you eat. Basic life skills are critical in any effective leadership. Microcosm, macrocosm. One, a reflection of the other.

It's not on purpose that we make so many mistakes in health care-- these are manifestations of our oversights in our own lives. We all have them to some degree. But leaders ought to have certain basic qualities. The interest has to be there for the very basics, especially where the female voice is represented.

Anonymous said...

At the end of the day, I'd rather have a messy house than a scattering of sexual misconduct and cancer. It's all about priorities. I evaluate which priorities are suited to someone like me. I do not wait for others in media to herd me into consumer subcategories. I am not a walking soap box. I am a people person.

They came into my house right after a massive flood, and my children's rooms were upside down, and they took photos, and now they are all passing these around among themselves as evidence that I am dirty.

I thought you should know. :)

That flood nearly killed me-- all that work. The landlady who did this to me, well she never offered to clean any of it up. Not a penny was offered me. Not a finger was lifted.

And somehow, we are more "ethical".

JQ said...

To the other poster(s?) on this blog: I, for one, would appreciate seeing some kind of name attached to your comments, if only to tell all of the "Anonymouses" apart; I can't tell which posts are continuations of the same person or just miscellaneous additions by other people.

You don't have a to have a Google or Blogger account; just select "Name/URL", enter some kind of name, and submit.

Thanks.

Oh, and in reference to the post, I agree again, NTG. Many times I have wished that I could go back and change something, but I've never really wished to go back to any given stage in my life. That may change as I leave my twenties (who knows?), but I think the independence of adulthood trumps childhood any day.

Anonymous said...

Something else-- I am fighting disease with a weakened immune system, and I am unable to expose myself to thinners and solvents, and I am waiting to repair some damage to woodwork until I move as a result.

But these women they do not pause to ask any questions. They are unable to stop and think that long, these "barracudas".

Anonymous said...

Sorry-- I am always rushing because my eyes hurt. :)

Nadingo said...

Great post, NTG. I think the idea of going back to a certain time or place without going back to your old self is a particularly interesting one. I imagine that it's fairly common to want to go back to an early time because you regret something you did or didn't do. In that case, by definition you wouldn't want to go back to the person you were, because then you'd make the same mistake.

On the other hand, if you do find yourself wishing you could be an earlier version of yourself, then that suggests you're somehow dissatisfied with who you are now, and that's a deeper, sadder kind of regret.

Oh, and to the commenter(s?) talking about paternity tests, health care, cancer, sexual misconduct, flooding, and landladies, am I missing something? It looks like you're responding to something completely unrelated to this post.

Anonymous said...

Nadingo, thank-you for your insights. You are truly superior in every way. I was talking about PHYSICALLY. My health was in decline, you see.

Or are you too busy being clever. ;)